Following a successful appeal by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (LLY.US), England's drug pricing regulator will be required to reassess its prior decision to exclude the company's Alzheimer's medication from coverage under the National Health Service (NHS). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) will now re-evaluate its initial guidance, which had determined that the benefits of donanemab did not sufficiently justify its cost within the public healthcare system. Marketed under the brand name Kisunla, the drug is approved for use in the UK but is currently only available through private healthcare channels. In a statement issued on Friday, Eli Lilly indicated that the regulator must consider several issues, including the costs for unpaid caregivers, long-term data for the drug, and estimated infusion expenses. NICE is responsible for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of new medications. The agency stated in 2024 that the price of donanemab and the intensive monitoring it requires outweighed the relatively modest benefits it provides to patients. Clinical trials demonstrated that the treatment can slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by four to seven months. Previously, NICE also rejected the use of lecanemab, an Alzheimer's treatment developed by Eisai and Biogen (BIIB.US), within the NHS on cost grounds.